I finally remembered to get a picture of the finished wingback chairs! First, let’s take a look at how these started out…
Not only was the color all wrong, but they also seemed a bit heavy with all of that tufting on the seats and the nailhead trim. They were also not very well padded. The foam on the front of the chair back stood a good two inches away from the springs, so when someone sat down in the chair, the back would sink in. They weren’t comfortable at all!
Now the chairs have fresh new fabric on them. We did away with the nailhead trim and the seat tufting, which gave the original chairs a very frumpy look.
So much better, right?! I love how these look in the room. Now I just have to Scotchgard the heck out of ‘em.
This certainly was no easy project. Neither my mom nor I do very much upholstering, so every time we tackle an upholstery project, we have to re-learn quite a bit, which means trial and error. And believe me, we made PLENTY of errors, and had countless do-overs. But we definitely learned from them! The first chair took us two days to complete, and the second one took us one day.
I haven’t had time to write up the full DIY tutorial yet, but if you missed the “intro to upholstery” post last week, you can click here to see it.
I’m working like a crazy woman to get the family room and kitchen finished. Hopefully I can show you the full reveal next week!!
I'm a self-employed interior decorator-turned-blogger, and a DIY fanatic. I hope you enjoy your visit here at A2D! If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to 
I'm speechless! These chairs look AMAZING now. Fabulous makeover.
What the?! Those are amazing! Gorgeous!
Everything you do turns out so perfectly.
LOVE! That is all…
What an amazing difference. I LOVE them and I am not a big tufted chair fan…… LOVE IT.
These just look fabulous, Kristi! Kudos to you and your mother…and I am always so impressed with the quality of your work in whatever project you take on.
~Pam
pamspaintparlor.typepad.com
What beautiful chairs — made even more so by your exceptionally done re-upholstery!
They look amazing!!
Very cool. I've noticed that a lot of designers and shops have been doing tufting on the backs of chairs while removing them from the seat. I really like the look of this, mix of classic and contemporary.
I'm a little inspired now, perhaps we should try to tackle upholstering a chair.
You did this yourself?!? Good grief… they look AMAZING.
Donna
Well, it was a joint effort. I couldn't have done it without my mom.
Wow! Simply gorgeous!!! I'm am your new follower!!!
Wow! Simply beautiful! I am your new follower!
Lovely transformation. Love the new look and colour of the chairs. You did a wonderful job.
I love the update of these chairs! Well done!
Kristi, I found you on my search for DIY upholstering and these chairs are fab! I have been contemplating getting my beloved but very worn (and ugly) wing back chair professionally re-upholstered, but I can't stand to think of the costs. From your posts, it seems (some what) do-able and I would love to see a full tutorial! How much actual sewing is involved and how much is a simple tuck and staple? Please share your wisdom!
J
agirlandakey.blogspot.com
I'm still working on the full tutorial. There are a ton of pictures, and it's really long, but don't let that intimidate you! I'm convinced that most people who have a bit if DIY experience should be able to do this.
As far as sewing, that depends on your particular chair. On the ones above, the only sewing above was the portion that goes on the wings. Of course, this chair didn't have a detached seat cushion. If your chair has a detached seat cushion, that will be additional sewing. But if you've had experience sewing, then sewing a seat cushion should be fairly easy.
Besides that, the rest is wrap, tuck, and staple. I'm not going to lie…it's definitely not an easy project, but if you tackle it slowly and methodically (and PAY ATTENTION when taking off the old fabric), then you should be able to tackle it.
The full tutorial is on the way!
I bought a tufted wingback chair for $25 dollars and you motivated me to tackle the project! Looking forward to reading your tutorial!